Timelessness on His Hands

by Barry Yeoman on

Click here for “Timelessness on His Hands,” Carolina Alumni Review,” July-August 2017 issue. Opens as a PDF.

Mindful Policing: The Future of Force

by Barry Yeoman on

With police violence in the news, and public scrutiny on the rise, cities turn to mindfulness to help officers deal with the stress of the job. Originally published in Mindful. “YOU GUYS READY FOR A TECHNIQUE?” the trainer asks. “Everybody, sit up straight. Uncross your legs. Just look straight ahead.” Eric White gathers his 6-foot-8 […]

Born Before Stonewall

by Barry Yeoman on

This month marks the 48th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, a defining moment in the struggle for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality. LGBTQ Americans still face isolation and discrimination. But we in the Baby Boom are also helping redefine what it means to grow older. Originally published in Medium. There are days when I […]

Going Native

by Barry Yeoman on

Exotic garden plants can wreak unexpected havoc with indigenous species and ecosystems. Originally published in National Wildlife. AMONG THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA, few are as elegant as cedar waxwings, with their black costume-ball masks and yellow tail tips. “Whoever once gets within a good view of them and notes the exquisite coloring of the […]

Reclaiming Native Ground

by Barry Yeoman on

Can Louisiana’s tribes restore their traditional diets as waters rise? Originally published by The Lens and the Food & Environment Reporting Network. Click here for the companion episode of the Southern Foodway Alliance’s Gravy podcast. WHEN THERESA DARDAR WAS GROWING UP in Houma, her mother used to take her to visit relatives in the Pointe-au-Chien Indian […]

N.C. on the Brink: Repeal of Anti-Trans Bill Falls Flat

by Barry Yeoman on

At ground zero in the fight over LGBTQ rights, a special legislative session to repeal the state’s House Bill 2 devolved into name-calling and hostile stalemate. Originally published in The American Prospect. DURING THE LONGEST NIGHT of the year—after what had felt like the longest day—North Carolina Governor-elect Roy Cooper walked into a Raleigh news conference […]

Will GOP Power Seizure in North Carolina Become National Model?

by Barry Yeoman on

A bid by North Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature to strip power from the state’s incoming Democratic governor has prompted another round of progressive protests and civil disobedience. Originally published in The American Prospect. WHEN COMMUNITY EDUCATOR MANJU RAJENDRAN and her eight-month-old daughter arrived at the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh on December 15, the House […]

History Matters

by Barry Yeoman on

North Carolina’s jarring GOP power grab feels familiar. Originally published in The Washington Post. ONE OF THE MOST SURREAL moments during last week’s fracas at the North Carolina legislature came during a news conference called by the state NAACP. The civil rights organization was blasting the Republican legislative majority for its brazen efforts to strip authority from […]

Counterprotests Swamp KKK Celebration

by Barry Yeoman on

A Ku Klux Klan gathering both recalled North Carolina’s racially troubled history and demonstrated the strength and diversity of the state’s civil rights movement today. Originally published in The American Prospect. IN THE END, SATURDAY’S “Victory Klavalkade”—a celebration of Donald Trump’s presidency by the North Carolina-based Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan—turned out […]

A New Suppression Tactic: Voter Defamation

by Barry Yeoman on

As they challenge the results of a governor’s race, North Carolina Republicans lay the groundwork for a Trump-era assault on voting rights. Originally published in The New Republic. MY NEIGHBOR LUCIA FOSTER was surprised when I emailed her on November 18. “Are you aware,” I asked, “that your name is on one of the election […]